T530 BIOS Setup

[yrralrellim]

Somehow, while trying to update the BIOS, a Supervisor Password was set on my T530. I have just spent the previous two days recovering to a point of being able to Boot into the installed Windows 10 system. When I finally got into the BIOS, I was only able to change the password to a new value that only I know but I was not able to disable the SP.

I would like for someone "in the know" with T530 BIOS setup experience to please post a link to a simple, straight-forward, logical sequence setup procedure and PLEASE, NOT just a link to the almost useless, totally unfriendly T530 User Manual. That is a joke publication as far as I am concerned. Yes, I am a relative Newbie, but the User Manual only tells me what each selection is. What I need is information on what each setting actually does. (No, I did not read the full 190+ pages so maybe I missed what I should now read). PLEASE, I CAN read! If no link is available, maybe some kind soul can actually take the time and patience to describe to me what the settings actually do.

I am try to set up a normal boot using my Windows 10 hard drive as 2nd choice and the DVD+-RW optical drive as my 1st choice. I want no network booting capability at all. I don't even want to see that info in any manner once I set up my BIOS. I also would like to disable that Supervisor Password but I could live with it. I feel that the BIOS on my T530 is very, very complicated for someone like me that is unfamiliar with terminology like: secure boot, UEFI, Wake from LAN, etc. There are too many what if's, only when's, etc. to suit my very old pea brain. I would like to see that you must do X, Y, AND Z to change a specific action. Another example: you must enable option A BEFORE you can see options F & G.

Surely some caring youngster out there can help me get into where I should be in this year of the 21st century.
Best regards. And, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all those that celebrate such.

[dr_st]

Welcome to the forum.

My first reaction to reading your post was "Gee, this guy is too lazy to read and wants someone to explain the step-by-step to him". But, I can relate to how things can suddenly seem daunting if you've been out of the loop for a while.

So, since you asked for a specific thing, I feel that it should not be too complicated.

Legacy vs UEFI - well, without diving into the terminology and the technical details: think of it as 2 different ways to set up the boot process. Legacy is the old, UEFI is the new. Legacy install goes with "MBR" drive partitioning scheme, UEFI goes with the "GPT" scheme. Once installed, you are for all practical purposes 'stuck' with what you chose. Win10 supports both, so I cannot know which you chose. T530 also supports both, so it should not really matter what you choose.

I do not have the T530 BIOS in front of me, but with the help of Lenovo's BIOS simulator I think I can define the steps you need to take to achieve your goal:

1. Navigate to 'Startup' using the left/right arrows
2. Press Enter to go into 'Boot' submenu
3. Use the keys as explained in the BIOS to change the boot order so that your DVD drive is before your hard drive. Everything else should not matter.
4. Press Esc to get back into 'Startup' menu.
5. UEFI/Legacy Boot and Boot Priority - I would leave at the default settings of Both, Legacy First; if you experience problems, you can play with the various options.
6. Press F10 to save and exit.

And remember, no matter how the boot order is defined, you can always press F12 during startup to bring up the boot menu where you can manually choose any available device.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

[yrralrellim]

Thank you. After trying to update the BIOS and ending up with a Supervisor Password which took 2 days to circumvent, I am a little gun-shy to delve into the BIOS unless I have to but I definitely do want to get the boot order set to my liking.

Your explanation helps! Happy Holidays to you too!

[zephxiii]

The only issue i had on the UEFI vs Legacy is that I couldn't get Win10 setup to boot from USB in UEFI only mode.